Here's to the Nights
by SNN
Summary: Derek's lost all contact with his family over the years. But what happens when Edwin and Lizzie pull him back? Will Derek and George mend their relationship? Will Derek and Casey finally wake up and see the truth? Eventual Dasey. HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is a future fic (and a little AU, so some characters will be OoC), after Derek is out of college and Casey is trying for her PhD. This is 3rd-person limited, and it's limited to Derek. The first paragraph is a little graphic, but the rest of it should be fine. This story was inspired by the song "Here's to the Night" by Eve 6 (obviously) and I wrote the first half of it about a year ago. I've combed through it and tried to get rid of all the grammatical/spelling errors and such, so yeah.

Anyways. I hope you like it!  
_Shannon_

* * *

**Here's To The Nights  
By: **_AngelOfMusic123_

"_Here's a toast to all  
__those who hear me all  
too well."_

_-- "Here's To The Nights" by Eve 6_

Skin burned like fire where her fingers danced across his body, sending him into an eternal bliss that was he was sure was to be the end of him. Lips met in heated passion, tongues dancing in a never-ending battle. As the last barrier was discarded he thrust himself into her, looking into her eyes, fearful she might just disappear at any given moment. She cried his name as he brought her to ecstasy, fingers digging into the skin of his back. He kissed her deeply to contain his moan of pleasure, loving every moment-

_Beep, beep, beep!_

Derek Venturi woke up, irritably smashing the button on the machine that had ruined his pleasure. "I'm suing whoever invented these blasted things," he mumbled as he lazily clambered out of bed, heading to the bathroom.

Peeling off his sweaty clothing, he climbed into the shower, letting the cold water drizzle out of the broken nozzle. Five minutes and few more complaints later, he was out and dressed for work, waiting on his toast to finish, erm, toasting. Yes, that's right. Derek had made it through college and had landed a (crappy) job. He'd made a promise (to Casey), and he was a man of his word. With the exception of business (his declared major – hmm... that can't be good), he was doing a pretty good (that's a bit of an overstatement, though) job.

His job consisted of working a desk for a completely pompous jerk who doesn't give a crap about anyone else in the world but himself. Typical behavior for the boss, but that doesn't mean that Derek doesn't hate him with a burning red passion. He was being paid just above minimum wage and his bimonthly paycheck was exactly how much it took for him to pay his bills and get some necessities. His apartment was a total shithole and he couldn't wait until he found a better-paying job to get out of it. The couch had cigarette burns on it and the ceiling was black and brown in places, undoubtedly from the cigarettes that had done the damage to the couch, which also had stuffing coming out of it. The bathroom toilette looked like it was sinking through the floor (that would be an awful way to die, don't you think?), the shower had caked-on mold (as did the curtain), and the sink had cracks all in it. The walls were irrevocably tarnished by unknown elements that Derek didn't even want to think about and, well... let's just say that his apartment was substandard living and a disgrace to boxes everywhere. He'd even tried cleaning once, but the chemicals had just ended up giving him a tremendous headache.

His landlord hates him and Derek's sure that he ups the bill whenever he's had a particularly pissy day. His boss hates him due to his being a pompous jerk. He hasn't spoken to anyone from his hometown in _years_, and he's completely sure that everyone at home hates his guts. Any feelings of adequacy had been squelched by his college professors and his father. _Thanks, guys._

To put it bluntly, and from the man himself: Derek Venturi's life sucked.

Taking a bite off of the charred toast (mm, yummy) – plain, for he had run out of jelly weeks ago and hadn't had the time nor the money to get more – and continuing to shove the rest in his mouth, he grimaced and began to make sure he had everything for work.

He was now twenty-four years old. His plans to become a professional hockey player had been squished by his father when he'd said this: "You're going to college, you're going study business, and you're going drop hockey until you are intelligent in the eyes of your professors! And until I hear word that this has been accomplished, you will not receive any sum of money from myself or Nora to help support you, got it?"

Yeah, he and his father weren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment. Were he to have some "chillax" time (yeah, right; more like "Hey, Derek, let's go stress out about the fact that you're not good enough!"), Derek still wouldn't take the time to call him. Their relationship had been on a downward spiral ever since Abby's departure, which Derek claimed was George's fault. Derek and Abby had always gotten along well – not in the mother-son way, but like acquaintances, they were friendly with one another. So when she left, Derek got in a fight with his father, saying that if he hadn't chased his mom away in the first place (Abby wasn't his biological mother, and his real mom's name is irrelevant; just know that Derek loved her very much and the divorce was a very nasty one that left a bitter taste in even the deceased cat's mouth), then they wouldn't even have to go through this.

When Nora, Casey, and Lizzie had moved in, Derek didn't think anything of it – other than the fact that they were all pretty decent looking gals - for he knew that Nora was just another notch on George's bedpost, and would soon move out.

Boy, was he wrong.

A week after they'd moved in, Derek had taken a liking to bugging the eldest , Casey. This, aside from hockey, was his only way to take out his anger at his father. (He couldn't very well risk another fight with him so soon, George was likely to throw him out and change the locks.) Soon, Derek found he had a sort of... _infatuation_ with Casey. Figuring it was just hormones, he just took it out on the other girls who managed to make it to his room.

Two weeks after they'd moved in, Derek knew that his father wasn't making them leave anytime soon, so he found himself feeling something for Casey, the feisty girl who wouldn't take any of the crap he threw at her (please do not take that literally... ew). He shoved it off as, once again, hormones, but this time taking it out on the object of his affections herself. Stealing little touches here, little subtle hints there... He quite liked seeing her reactions to his antics, causing him to do it all the more.

A month after they'd moved in, Derek noticed that Casey's reactions had gotten more passionate. He liked that. He liked _her_. But enough of that. Let's get back to his current predicament: his lost briefcase.

Noticing that he was missing his very vital briefcase, he became frantic. _Okay, Derek, don't panic. The key is to not panic. Where did you put it last? Think, man! Think! _

Dumping the contents of his bag (just in case... you never know where things might turn up) on the coffee table, which creaked when anything was placed upon it, he began opening anything and everything, searching for the object that could determine whether or not he gets to keep his job. Not finding it there, he racked his brain for where all he'd been the previous night. _Oh, yeah. I was here - _all _**night**__ – organizing so my boss wouldn't hassle me about it!! Argh!_ Then, like a light coming on in his head, he rushed to his very small bedroom – which was about one or two strides from the living room (come to think of it, everything was about two strides apart). - and looked on his desk beside his laptop.

Ah, his precious (I say "precious" because of the fact that it's really cool technology and is worth more than the shithole apartment in which he currently resides) laptop - the only thing that his father had provided him with before he left for college. It had been quite the awkward moment when he'd given it to him: George had hesitantly handed him the medium-sized box and shrugged slightly, saying, "Here. It's the only thing you're getting – don't get your hopes up."

So sweet. Don'tcha just wanna pinch his cheeks?

"_Yes!_" Derek shouted as he gave a jump for joy at the sight of his relatively shiny-looking briefcase, which was residing at the foot of his bed (the desk and bed were so close that they almost meshed into one unit). Hearing a banging on the wall and a hateful curse word aimed towards him, Derek quickly told his cranky neighbor to put it where the sun don't shine and went back into the not-so-qualified-to-be-called-this-but-I'll-call-it-this-anyway-for-sanity's-sake living room. Straightening everything back up, he slipped on his jacket, slid his laptop into his bag, and left the shitho- erm, building. Glancing at his watch briefly, he quickened his pace, realizing that he would be late if he didn't hurry.

Oh – did I forget to mention? He also doesn't have a car. Hence the walking.

Derek had long since come to terms with the fact that his father didn't love him (even though he said otherwise in the presence of others) and, frankly, he didn't care. Not one bit. He doesn't need his father, he's survived this long, hasn't he? It's been over five years now, and he's seen neither hide nor hair of his father since he left the house.

Yeah... George also hadn't bothered to take Derek to the airport to see him off to college. But I'm guessing you very intelligent readers have already (by your own deductive reasoning, I'm sure) figured this out. Nora had to make up the excuse that he was busy working on a very hard case and Derek had told her not to bother, that he knew his father just didn't want to take him, and that he was just fine with that.

...kind of.

_Well, screw him, _Derek thought as he entered the building where he works and sat down at his desk. _If he doesn't want to be in my life, then I don't want to be in his._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks for the encouraging reviews, guys! I really appreciate them! :)

* * *

**Here's To The Nights**

**By: **_AngelOfMusic123_

Derek sat in his computer chair, bored out of his mind. His boss had told him to man the phone until he returned from lunch, but who would call this dump, anyway? He was really beginning to think that Garrison was deluded and needed immediate psychiatric treatment.

Despite his being extremely bored, he still had a little work to do that he hadn't gotten around to yet, all because of one thing (person, really): Casey.

She'd called the previous night (which, Derek guessed, was why he'd had the dream, as he had repressed the memory of her once he'd moved). He thought he'd never heard anything so angelic. Derek became hopeful that maybe she'd wanted to rekindle what they once had, but she was only calling to tell him that Edwin and Lizzie were going to come and visit him, but they wouldn't say why. The only reason she knew was because she'd been visiting for a weekend and they'd told her just before their departure. Apparently they wanted to talk to him about something "important" and "confidential".

Derek tried to get Casey to talk more with him, but she said she was "busy" (more like "in denial", but we'll get to that later) and had to go. He'd solemnly responded: "Okay. Maybe I'll talk to you later?" To which was the reply of a dial tone. The conversation had been an awkward one and had left what Casey had said (_didn't say _would be more accurate) echoing in Derek's mind.

He'd calculated that since Edwin and Lizzie had left the night before, then it wouldn't be until late, late, late tonight until they arrived at his place. He'd have to clean up, but when could he? When would he find the time? Certainly not now, when he was at work. Just because he wasn't doing anything doesn't mean that he can just up and leave. Then he wouldn't get paid and he'd get evicted by a giddy landlord. It's always the same problems. He needs more time to get things done; this job was just taking up precious minutes in his day. He needs to clean his apartment, he needs to get a better job, he needs to get a social life. But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't be up to standards.

Garrison had already confronted him a couple of times about his lackadaisical attitude towards his job. Derek had told him to buzz off, that he was lucky Derek was even working here. _No one_ wanted this job and he would search for months before he would find a replacement. Sometimes Derek even questioned why he was working there himself. He had graduated University with a Masters in Business – so why was he working in this dead-end black hole?

He had stuck through college so he could live a fantastic life filled with a steady income that kept up a pent house in some fast-paced city. But that wasn't the only reason he had gone through the constant criticism from his professors about his mediocre grades, no. He wanted his father to finally look him in the eye and say he's proud of him. He could try and dispute this fact all he wanted, claiming strict apathy regarding his father and their relationship (or lack there-of), but no, he realized, he _did_ care. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, he wanted his father to love him. If not love him than at least care enough to call once and awhile. Derek would not call; he couldn't take anymore blows to his pride. It had been one thing after another – his father's sudden hatred for him, Casey breaking up with him (it was _not_ mutual agreement), giving up his social life except for hockey, then finally giving up hockey altogether. He couldn't take anymore. Derek Venturi was going to break - and he was going to break soon.

--

"Edwin, are you _sure_ this is where he lives? I mean, I know Mom and George don't help him out or anything, but... _this?" _Lizzie asked in disbelief as she stared at the run-down apartment complex in front of them.

"Yeah Liz, I'm sure. I called the landlord to make sure," Edwin said and took her hand, leading her into the building. Heading up the stairs – there was no elevator, Lizzie noted with distaste – they went to the fourth floor.

Derek had collapsed from exhaustion about two hours ago. He'd scrubbed, dusted, vacuumed (that didn't take too long - the only carpet was in his bedroom and living room and together the two rooms made up the space of an old-timey classroom), pledged, swept, and polished. The apartment was as clean as it had been in years, but that still didn't mean it looked good. Decent, yes; compared to what he used to call home, no. He was sprawled out on the lumpy couch and had about half of him dangling off; the noun "couch" meaning a very small, lumpy, uncomfortable mess that one actually could call a chair and not get beat about the head and shoulders for being dumb and calling it such a name. Only six-year-old Marti would be able to stretch completely out and be even a little (okay, not really) comfortable.

A sudden knocking on the door made Derek jump and give a no-so-manly yelp as he fell completely off of the couch. "Derek? Are you all right? Open the door," he heard a muffled male voice call that he could only guess was Edwin's.

"Yeah, gimme a sec," he said. Wincing slightly, he staggered up to the door. Giving one final stretch to try and work out the crick in his neck, he unlocked the door and opened it.

"Hey, bro," Edwin said, "It's been awhile, eh?" He stuck out his hand. Derek smirked; _He's still trying to be cool. _

"Ed! Why the formality? We're family!" he exclaimed, reminding Edwin very much of an Italian mother welcoming visiting relatives. To further prove his very original and completely not-at-the-same-time point, Derek then pulled a stunned Edwin into his arms for a bear hug. Derek hadn't seen his little brother in over five years - he missed him.

After a few seconds, Edwin finally relented and hugged his brother back. "I missed you, Derek."

"I missed you, too, kid."

They finally pulled apart when they heard Lizzie politely clear her throat. "Oh, hey Lizzie," Derek said and hugged her too.

"Hey, Derek," she said and awkwardly hugged him back (she and he were never really that close). When they pulled apart Derek invited them in, and Lizzie and Edwin exchanged looks that clearly said: _What happened to him?_

"Well," Derek said (with a smile that clearly said: "This is my place. It's a shabby little thing, but it's mine, so I'm sorta/maybe/kinda/just-a-little-bit proud of it, so I'll smile like I like it."), "welcome home."

--

"So," Derek said as they waited in the kitchenette for the tea to finish, erm, _tea-ing_, "how's life been treatin' ya?"

There was a beat of silence in which Edwin looked to Lizzie, where she nodded, and Edwin finally spoke. "Derek, we have something to tell you."

He was interrupted by the shrill whistle of the kettle and Derek went to get it. Lizzie looked down at her hands and Edwin simply shook his head at his brother. He'd changed so much, and he missed the old Derek.

"Here ya go," Derek said and handed them two Styrofoam cups filled to the brim with murky tea that smelled old. Lizzie looked at it with distaste before smiling at him and taking a sip of it. She held back a wince, swallowed, and sat the cup down on the cork coaster in front of her. Edwin didn't even take a drink, just put it down with disgust. He didn't know what had happened to his brother, but he was going to find out. He was going to find out now.

"Derek, what the hell is going on with you?" Edwin exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked, taken aback at his bluntness.

"What do you mean, 'what do I mean'? Look at this place! It's awful! The Derek _I _know would never live somewhere like this! He wouldn't even give it a second thought! And what's with dropping out of hockey? Hockey is your life, Derek!" Edwin finished, panting slightly.

"Hockey _was_ my life. I've grown up now, Ed. I have more important things to think about than some dumb sport where you push a puck around and slide on ice," Derek bit, somewhat acrimoniously.

Edwin was fuming. He would _not_ accept that this was how his brother – his role model – was living. "No, I won't accept that. Now-"

"I don't care! This_ is_ my life now, Edwin! Whether _you_ like it or not doesn't matter!" Derek shouted, ignoring the protests from his stupid neighbor again.

"Enough!" Lizzie cried, who had been quiet during the whole ordeal. "We didn't come to talk about how you were living," she said, giving a scornful look to Edwin. "We came to tell you something important. And we need your help."

Derek finally looked away from Edwin, with fury still in his eyes but not quite so angry anymore. "What do you need?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's To The Nights**

**By: **_AngelOfMusic123_

Derek groaned irritably as something poked his shoulder. He merely swatted it away before quickly seeping back into his dreams. Dreams which consisted of what he used to have. Dreams that he had every night since she left.

"Go away," he mumbled as the offending object poked again. He waited with apprehension for the next poke so he could violently jab at it, but it never came. Satisfied that he could sleep again, he scrunched himself up further on the... couch? He opened his eyes slowly, trying to remember what could have ever made him sleep on the small, pitiful excuse for a couch.

Then he noticed that there were two suitcases by the door, and two pairs of eyes staring at him with what seemed to be amusement. His brow furrowed; did he get drunk last night? 'Cause he sure as hell didn't remember what happened.

"Hey," he heard a vaguely familiar voice say, "it's time to wake up, sleepy head. Remember? You promised."

Oh -- it was Edwin. And Lizzie. All at the same time. Hmm. "Eh... did I get drunk last night?" he asked, finally getting into a sitting position. He looked through glazed-over eyes at the amused faces before him.

"Ah, no. But I do think that that awful tea you made might've had something to do with it," Edwin said, receiving an elbow in his ribs from Lizzie. "Hey – you know I'm right. Did you not wake up with a headache this morning from that... that _nastiness? _And I didn't even have any..." he continued, this time talking to Lizzie.

Morning... Derek thought. There's something about _morning... _"Oh, shit! I have to get to work!" he jumped up, ignoring the dizzy feeling in his head, and began frantically searching for his things. He was about to take the two steps to his bedroom when a strong hand grabbed his wrist. "What? I'm going to be late, Edwin. Now let me go!" Edwin shook his head at him, but let him go nevertheless.

Lizzie looked at him, confused, but he just shook his head with slight amusement. "He'll figure it out soon enough. That tea must be really strong."

"Well, you wouldn't know," Lizzie glared at him, "_you_ didn't try any."

Edwin looked at her with pride, "Yep. Like I was going to put my health at risk? _Please_."

She shoved him in the shoulder playfully, "You're cute, you know that?"

"Yep. And proud of it, too." Lizzie shook her head at his antics and kissed him on the lips.

They were interrupted by the sound of something dropping on the floor behind them. "Whoa. Is _that_ what you came to talk to me about?"

"You really don't remember?" Lizzie asked, incredulous.

"Uh... no...?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose and put her free hand on her hip, "Wow, he's turned stupid again, Ed."

"I've noticed," he replied dryly. He turned his attention back to Derek, "Derek, think back. What's the last thing you remember?"

And he did just that. The remembering part, that is.

--

"What do you need?"

Lizzie looked to Edwin briefly before giving her full attention to Derek, "We need you to come back home with us."

Derek's brow furrowed in confusion, "Huh?"

She sighed, "We need you to come back home with us. Things have been really messed up lately, and we think that it has something to do with you and Casey's little romance before you left."

Derek's eyes hardened, "No. She left me. And, no, I won't come back with you. I have a life here. I have work-"

"-which is making you _completely_ miserable-"

"-friends-"

"-really? Could've fooled me."

"Excuse me, but what gives you the right to barge in here and criticize my life? Huh?"

"The fact that I miss my sister!" Lizzie shouted, eyes glassy, but she wouldn't break her intense glare. "She hasn't been the same ever since you left! When she comes to visit, she's all distant and depressed! Now she's started talking like she's going to drop out of school! Getting her PhD is all she's ever talked about! Derek, I know you can fix this! You _have _to fix this!" she pleaded. A single tear made its way down her cheek, but she ignored it.

"She didn't have to leave me." Derek's eyes were hard and uncaring.

"No, you're right. She didn't. But what's done is done and I know that you can make her right again. She's a mess, Derek. I've never seen her like this before."

"What about me, huh?! No one seems to notice the fact that _I_ might be the one hurting. That maybe _I_ might need to be fixed. _She_ is the one who left. It was _her_ choice. I don't have any right to come when I know damn well that she doesn't want me. All right?" he shouted, standing up to his full, intimidating height.

"How would you know?" Edwin interjected. "You're never home – at all – so how would you know, Derek? How would you know when Marti got her first boyfriend? How would you know that I've found the love of my life? How would you know that Dad is as distant and cold as ever? Huh? How would you _fucking_ **know**?!" he shouted, standing up to his full height as well. He was almost as tall as Derek now. Almost.

"Edwin-" Lizzie started.

"No. Let him speak," Derek said, never once breaking his gaze with his brother.

"You might not miss home, Derek," Edwin said, surprisingly calm, "but that doesn't mean that we don't miss you. Nothing's the same without you there. Marti's all grown up now. She's in junior high. Did you know that she got her ears pierced?"

"No."

"Did you know that Nora and Dad have been married for almost ten years now?"

"Yes."

"Did you know that they've never celebrated an anniversary for six of them?"

"No."

"Did you know that Casey's moved into your room because she misses you so damn much?"

" ... "

"Yeah, that's what I thought. You wouldn't know," Edwin finished, reclaiming his seat next to Lizzie. Derek, jaw dropped slightly and eyes widened, sat down again slowly. Edwin sighed, "I'm sorry, Derek. It's just... there have been so many opportunities for you to come see us... You couldn't visit at least _once?_ I've missed you. You're my only brother, you know," he added with a smirk.

Derek, having been shaken out of his stupor by his brothers voice, spoke humorously, "Hey, I'm the only one who's allowed to smirk around here. 'S my trademark. Get your own, kid." Edwin laughed lightly and Derek grinned; Lizzie merely shook her head as a smile danced on her lips at the two brothers' antics. Suddenly Derek's face dropped, "I can't just leave work, you know. And, as much as I would love to come home and visit you and Marti," he said, putting emphasis on the 'you and Marti', "my next 'opportunity' to visit isn't until Christmas." At the blank looks he received from them, Derek sighed and continued, "In three months..."

Then, to his surprise, Edwin began to laugh. Derek cocked an eyebrow, "What? What's so funny?"

"Y-you," he began, "ar-are insane! Don't you know all you have to do is call your boss and tell him you can't make it to work for awhile due to a major family emergency?" he finally managed to get out between fits of laughter.

Derek's mouth formed a small 'oh' and he propped his face on his hand. "This still doesn't mean that I'm coming."

Edwin's laughter stopped immediately, "Yes, you are," he said in a dead-serious voice. "And you aren't going to say no. Now, go pack your things. We leave tomorrow. I'll make the call," he added, walking over to the phone.

"Ah, puh, puh," Derek reprimanded, taking the cordless from his brother's already dialing hands. "You don't even know the number," he said wistfully.

"Wanna bet? I looked it up before we came," he said, taking the phone from his hand. "Note that I have a cell phone, and I'll do it from there if you make me. But this call _will_ be made. And you will go home with us even if Lizzie and I have to tie, gag, and throw you into the back seat of our rental car. It's going to happen, Derek. 'Tis fate," Edwin said with a knowing smile.

"Ugh," Derek groaned. "Fine. Gimme a minute." He took the two steps to his bedroom and Edwin and Lizzie heard a few drawers opening and closing, then the snapping of a suitcase as he shoved his stuff in. Five minutes later he appeared with two suitcases in tow and a disgruntled look on his face.

"Good, now get some sleep. The flight we have booked leaves pretty early," Lizzie informed. Derek merely grunted in response, went to the door, placed the suitcases there and faced them.

"Anything else you guys wanna tell me before I'm out?" Derek asked, already looking as if he would collapse at a seconds notice.

"Um, there is one _teeny-tiny_ thing," Lizzie began, a bit sheepishly. "You see, Edwin and I, we, uh-"

Edwin interjected, "You remember when I said that I'd found the love of my life?"

Derek only nodded in response, eyes already half closed.

"Well," he put his arm around Lizzie's waist, "meet the love of my life."

Derek nodded, "It's about time. G'night," he said, falling back on the couch. "You can have the bed, just don't soil the sheets," he added, waving a hand towards the bedroom.

"Um, okay then," Lizzie said and they went to the bedroom.

--

Edwin, seeing the realization come over his brother's face, got up from his position beside Lizzie on the floor and stood in front of Derek. Patting him on the back, he smiled, "So, you ready to go?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **You guys rock. Seriously.

Heads up: _Derek/Casey confrontation in this chapter! Yay! Progress!_

* * *

**Here's To The Nights  
By: **_AngelOfMusic123_

The plane ride was about as eventful as going to a nursing home when everyone's napping. Derek fell asleep almost as soon he sat down beside Edwin, who kept talking conspiratorially with Lizzie. He would've been suspicious were it not for the fact that his mind still wasn't fully awake from the five o' clock wake up. His job doesn't start until eight, so he wasn't used to it.

After the plane landed and they retrieved their luggage, Edwin went to his car, which he had left there for the time being. _So, he gets a car_, Derek thought bitterly to himself. _Not only does he get the girl, but he gets a car to go along with it._ They piled into the car sluggishly, jet-lagged. About an hour or so later, Derek was adamantly refusing to enter the house.

"No. I will not go in there. And you can't make me," he said, shaking his head and crossing his arms. Edwin only smirked and looked at Lizzie. She smiled impishly and went into the house. Derek's face was hardened with resolve and his eyes were set forward. "Whatever you're planning to do, it won't work."

"Au contraire, my favorite big brother of mine," Edwin said, still smirking.

"I'm your _only _big brother, genius. That's not much of a compliment."

"Wasn't meant to be one," Edwin replied, smirking.

Derek only shrugged and leaned against the passenger door. Soon after, Lizzie returned outside, seeming to be talking to someone. Derek instantly recognized the voice, even though he couldn't make out what was being said.

It was Casey.

All of his defenses melted, and his arms uncrossed. He worked his jaw and tried to moisten his mouth, which had suddenly gone dry. His eyes darted to Edwin, sending him a look that said he was going to pound him later.

All conversation came to a halt when Casey saw him. Her eyes watered up, and blinked to hold back the tears. She had to concentrate to breathe from just seeing him. Looking at Lizzie, then looking back at him, she dashed back into the house and went up the stairs, leaving the trio flabbergasted and alone.

She ran into the room that once contained the one person who could either make her feel better or worse and fell onto the bed, face in pillow. She began to weep. Just seeing him there, as suave and cool as ever, leaning against the car like he came here everyday, when all actuality he hadn't seen the place in six years, made all those feelings rush back to her. Those feelings she'd tried her hardest to rid herself of so long ago when she left him. She'd fully intended to go on with her life after he left, but found it almost too difficult to breathe. That scared her.

But what scared her even more was that when she was with him, she lost control. Two very bad things combining to make one, gigantic, huge, very bad thing. So she left. Well, left him. They were still living in the same house, so she only went to her room. But the point was made. The next morning when she woke up, she'd found her mother in the kitchen sipping coffee, while Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti all looked grief stricken. She instantly panicked – what had happened? Nora was normally at work at this hour, and the kids were supposed to be at some birthday bash for one of their friends.

"What happened?" she'd asked.

"He's gone," Edwin had replied, not looking at her.

"Who?"

"Derek. He went to college. Left early." That had been the understatement of the century. He wasn't supposed to leave for another three months.

"Why?" she'd asked, putting on a poker face, although her heart was making her a walking contradiction.

Nora had merely shrugged, replying, "He said he wanted to leave early, so I took him to the airport."

Casey hadn't questioned why her mother had had to drive. George was about as warm as an ice cube. Meaning he didn't give a damn about his son, but wanted him to go to college so he didn't shame his name. Which wasn't much of a name, Casey had thought. "Oh," was all she'd said, and ran back upstairs.

She went into his room to find everything the way it was, until she checked the closet and dresser. They were both empty. His precious laptop that rested on his computer desk was gone, and Casey knew that they weren't lying to her. She'd immediately started to hate him – pushing all decent feelings down until she didn't even remember what they had.

Or so she'd thought – until she saw him. All the walls went crumbling down, along with any feelings of hate she had for him. And she hated herself for it. That he had this power over her, and all he'd done was stand there. She wanted to punch him, scream at him for leaving when they could've worked it out, but she knew that she'd be lying. Of course they wouldn't have been able to work things out – she'd set her mind to leaving, and she wouldn't back down.

Slowly, she began to build the walls back up around her heart, resolving to not let him get to her.

--

"Well, that was certainly predictable," Derek said, walking to the trunk and pulling out his bags.

"What do you mean?" Edwin asked, receiving an 'are you stupid' look from Derek.

"It's Casey, Ed. What else would you expect?" he said, basically closing the subject when Edwin saw that he was right.

"So, are you still going to do this?" Lizzie asked.

He looked at her standing in the doorway, before walking past and heading up the stairs, "Of course I am. I'm a man of my word." He stopped when he reached the top, "Uh, where exactly would I be staying? If what you said about my room being moved into and all?"

Edwin looked disgusted, "Kick her out. It's your room, Derek." Derek nodded and went up the stairs. Edwin looked to Lizzie, "We have got _a lot_ of work to do."

"Mmhmm," was her simple reply and she went into the kitchen to get lunch, and Edwin followed.

--

"Out," Derek said as he placed his suitcases on the floor. He crossed his arms, already feeling his old self take over and knock out the new, wimpy version of Derek forever.

Her sniffling stopped, and she looked through puffy eyes at the voice, "Excuse me?"

He sighed, "Don't you understand? You couldn't have my room before, and you can't have it now. Get out." He put on his meanest, most intimidating glare and held his ground.

"This is my room now, Derek. You can't tell me what to do," she said, wiping her eyes and standing up, glaring at him as well.

Derek looked around the room; not a single thing had changed since he'd moved out. He cocked an eyebrow, "Really? 'Cause it sure looks like my room." He completely ignored the last statement, knowing full well that it would just start a fight, when all he wanted to do was go get something to eat.

"So? You haven't lived here in forever, and now all of the sudden you've come back to 'stake your claim'?" she remarked.

He shrugged, "You could say that."

Her eyes narrowed to little slits, "This is my room. Get out."

Sighing, Derek walked over to his closet, much to the confusion of Casey. Noticing that it was filled with her things, he just shook his head and laughed. "Well, you asked for it," he said slyly. To Casey's astonishment, he began to pull out her clothing, throwing them on his bed. Then he began to toss shoes out in every direction, but making sure to try and aim for Casey.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed, outraged.

"I'm moving your stuff," he said simply, "and putting my things back." He began to pull out his clothes from one of his suitcases, putting them on hangers and placing them gently on the rack. Casey could only stare in shock as he opened his other suitcase and put the contents in his drawers, then pulled out his laptop from the bottom and placed it on the desk, hooking it up. When he was finished, he looked smugly over to Casey, "My room."

She closed her mouth (which had dropped during his unpacking) and clenched her fists, "Ugh! I hate you!"

"Likewise, my dear. Likewise," he replied, feeling like a walking contradiction. He knew that he was still madly in love with her, but he couldn't let her know his weakness. "Now, get out. I don't like intruders," he finished, pointing towards his door. She gave one final glare of hatred towards him before walking out and slamming the door. Derek smirked in satisfaction, "Yep. I still got it."

Then he realized that she had left her junk in his room. He groaned, still a little jet-lagged, and extremely hungry. Sighing, he opened his door, then kicked all of the stuff out just as Casey was coming out of her room for it. He gestured to the pile in front of his door and then went back in his room. Casey mumbled under her breath and began to pick up her things.

Meanwhile, back in Derek's room, he was laying on his back, looking at the ceiling and grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Oh, yes. This is going to be fun."


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's to the Nights**

**By: **_AngelOfMusic123_

The next morning, Derek came down the stairs and went to the kitchen, following the smell of pancakes. It must have been muscle memory, for he could barely remember the layout of the house at all now. The first thing he heard when he came in was a pan dropping and an exclamatory curse. He saw Nora bend down and pick up the skillet and carefully place the hot contents in the sink.

"Well, there goes a perfectly good pancake," he said, looking forlornly at the now soggy food.

"Derek! You're... here. And what, may I ask, is the special occasion?" Nora asked, a little flustered and her toes burnt and throbbing from the previous accident.

"Oh, no reason. Just wanted to stop by for awhile. I'm not sure how long I'll be here, so I guess it's like old times, huh?" he replied, throwing an arm around her shoulders and half-smiling. Nora's jaw dropped and Derek dropped the charade. "Ed and Lizzie dragged me here. Ask them," he said, pulling away and grabbing a pancake from the stack on the table.

As if on cue, Edwin and Lizzie both entered the kitchen, looked at Derek, then turned around and proceeded to go back to their respective rooms.

"Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast," Nora said, grabbing them both by their pajama collars and pulling them back. "_Why_ is _he_ here?"

Derek's brow furrowed; he didn't recall any hostility between himself and Nora. Perhaps George had gotten to her? He wasn't sure, but there was enough bitter air to feed a third-world country in the house, and quite frankly, he was tired of it. "Okay, is my being here bothering you or something, Nora?"

Nora turned to face him, her face frozen in a faux smile, "No, dear. No problem at all. I just wasn't expecting you, I guess."

Derek visibly restrained himself from rolling his eyes in annoyance at her blatant lie, but offered a teeny-tiny smile back. "Okay then. So, since I told my boss there was a family emergency and needed a long break, I guess I can stay for as long as, oh say, a month or so?" he said, looking at his brother for an affirmative.

Edwin nodded, "Yeah, that's what he said. This is gonna be great!"

Nora looked faint; what was George going to have to say about this? He practically _hated_ his son – although she was never sure why. But she did not want to be in the vicinity when he came to find Derek there. It wasn't that Nora didn't like Derek, she just knew that _somehow_ – although she wasn't sure how – he'd hurt Casey and she wasn't happy with him. At the moment, she believed that the world would be a better place if Derek just went to the other side of it. Or at least the house.

"So... where are you going to stay, then? Surely you wouldn't want to stay _here_ of all places. I mean, you're young – don't you want to party or... or _anything?_" Nora asked, desperate to get rid of him.

"Ah, no. I'm not like that anymore, Nora," Derek replied. He wasn't sure if he wanted them to know how far his life was going down the drain, but he also didn't want them to believe he was still some immature party boy who brought a different girl to bed every night. So he left it at that and continued to eat his breakfast.

"Is that so?" an all-too-familiar, all-too-unwelcome voice boomed upon entering the kitchen. Derek closed his eyes and decided that no, he wouldn't be having breakfast this morning and yes, that was indeed his _oh so lovely_ father. "I was under the assumption that you would never change your ways," George added.

"Yeah, well, we all know what assuming does," Derek bit back. It was way too early in the morning for this.

"Oh, someone's built up their intelligence level," a female voice added, coming in the kitchen as well and grabbing a glass from the cupboard.

"I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult," Derek said.

"I take back my previous words," Casey said, pouring her orange juice in the cup.

"Back to square one," Lizzie said, sighing. She patted Edwin on the shoulder and went to fix her own breakfast.

Edwin sighed, "Yep. Square one."

--

Derek sat on his chair, which was remarkably still there, flipping mindlessly through the channels. He had been sitting there for God knows how long and he didn't plan on getting up any time soon. Although his jet-lag, car-lag, and any other 'lag' had worn off, he had been hit with a wave of ... depression. And possibly fatigue? He couldn't decide, but it was a very close race between the two.

It was just like when Casey had first moved in the house, only with Derek as the new-comer. It had been pure torture the whole week he'd been back. As if it wasn't enough that just _seeing_ Casey made him depressed (over the fact that he can't have her), she insisted on being around him just about every friggin' second! Flaunting herself in his presence, and she even brought a date around him! Even when he'd tried to go upstairs to his room, she somehow convinced the guy to go upstairs as well.

But no, that wasn't what got him the most. What it was was that he'd had to listen to them... _all night._ The giggling and groaning and shouting almost pushed him over the edge. Even if it hadn't been so loud and obnoxious (their were still virgins in the house, for goodness sake!), it still would've gotten to him.

It had been this way for almost as long as he could remember. Even when he didn't actually like her it bothered him when she would bring home a date. Then with the Sam thing... well, that was the final straw.

--

It was just after Sam had angrily exited his house after wrestling with him that Derek had gone upstairs to see her. Sometime in the duration of this whole thing, Derek had realized something: He liked Casey. Now, he knew, was the time to at least try to explain his childish actions. Reaching her closed door, he took a deep breath and knocked. "Casey?"

The door swung open to reveal a glassy-eyed girl, clad in pink pajama bottoms and a white tank-top, "What do you want, Derek?" Her voice was thick with misery, but it still had the special bite that was always reserved for him.

Derek opened his mouth to answer. He really had every intention of replying with an 'I'm sorry' or 'Please forgive me' or 'I like you' or something of the sort, but nothing came out. He just stood there with his mouth hanging open like a fish, eyes wide and bearing the resemblance of a deer in the headlights.

She blinked back whatever tears that might've been previously trying to escape, and opened them again to show the most furious orbs that Derek had ever seen. "I said: _What do you want?_" she almost shouted, trying to keep it down for the sake of her borderline-dreamland siblings.

"I... I..." was all that he could manage. Casey, not wanting to deal with this _blubbering idiot_, gave a frustrated huff and slammed her door in his face. Turning on her heel to walk to her bed, her trip was short-lived as there was another knock on her door. Expecting it to be Derek, she swung open her door and shouted a very rude and succinct 'what?'.

To her surprise, it was not the obnoxious, stupid, annoying, relationship-ruining step-brother that she _loved so dearly_, but the thing's father, George. "Well, is that any way to speak to your father?" he said with a smile so fake that she wanted to rip it off and stomp on it with her stiletto heels.

Casey had never really hated the guy, but anyone who was so distant and cold and heartless to his own son was not someone she wanted to be acquainted with. "You're not my father," she coldly remarked. She may not like Derek, but they way George treated him and Edwin and Marti was just inexcusable.

George's 'smile' immediately dropped from his face and was replaced with his normal icy snarl, "If you _ever_ make that much of a fuss over anything again I swear I'll throw you out of the house and straight to boarding school, got it?"

Casey couldn't really argue with that without making even more of a fuss, which apparently he did not want. Now, Casey was not one who normally took things lying down, but she almost liked where she lived and didn't really want to go to some prissy, stupid, preppy boarding school. Who did, exactly? If it weren't for her normal fights with Derek she feared she would die of boredom and, if not that, just congeal or something of the sort. "Yes, sir," she curtly replied.

She closed the door with as much courtesy as possible and went back to bed.

AN

Okay, something must be told about George for you dear readers to understand this story clearly. George was not the best father in the world. In fact, he came close in the running to being one of the worst. He never physically abused his children, no; what he did do was constantly insult, punish for no reason, and basically kill his children's self esteem.

Well, it seemed that his attempts on the self-esteem killing wasn't working on his eldest, so he decided to be as evil as the devil and as cold as a glacier. He couldn't seem to figure out _why_ exactly he wanted to be this way, but he suggests reading _Lord of the Flies_ to get a clue, at least, of the reason.

When he married Nora, he had every intention of just using her as some income and to 'relieve his sexual fantasies'. Then she brought up the fact that she had children (2!!) and that she wanted marriage before sex. Well, George didn't want to waste his time with this broad, so he went to a local bar and tried to find someone there. No such luck.

So he went back to Nora and a few months later they were wed.

Now, dear readers, is where I reveal to you the fact that (as if you hadn't already guessed) our dear protagonist's assumptions were correct. If you refer to Chapter 1, paragraph 10, you will see what I mean.

Back to the story.

AN

Meanwhile, Derek was pacing in his room, trying to figure out something worthy to say to her.

"Casey... I'm sorry – No, that won't do." He tugged his hand through his hair and sighed, "What am I supposed to say to make this right? Or... maybe not say – but _do_..."

Derek seemed to like this idea and promptly went to the room next to his. Knocking, he asked, "Casey? Can I come in?"

A response came, but it was groggy and he squinted (as if that would help) to hear better. "What?"

"I said: What do you want?" More clearly this time.

"Uh... to come in?" He almost smacked himself for the assy-ness of that response. He heard a scoff and figured that it was as good as any reply and entered. "Hey..." he let out. A little sliver of light seeped in and made his form a silhouette.

Through the minuscule amount of light he could see Casey rub her sleepy eyes, "What do you want, Derek? I was sleeping. And note that if you don't hurry I will be again."

"Feisty even when she's sleepy..." he mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" she queried, raising a barely-seen eyebrow.

"Nothing, nothing," he replied, stepping fully into the room and closing her door. "Can I turn on a light?"

His response was a click and the room illuminated a very sleepy/peeved looking Casey. "What is it?" She was getting impatient.

"I, uh... Well, it's what I wanted to tell you earlier, but I couldn't get it out..."

"Well..."

"Yeah... You see ... the reason I did what I did tonight was because I-"

"Was being a selfish pig who couldn't stand to see his step-sister happy?"

He paused in his pacing to look at her strangely, then thought about it and decided that she had every reason to believe that it was true. "Not exactly. You see, I... I – well, I l..."

She sighed impatiently, "Derek! Will you get to the point already? It's almost midnight and I have a major test tomorrow!"

"Right. Sorry. I guess I'll just get to it, then," he mumbled, beginning to pace once more. _How do I say this?_ he asked himself. "I, well... I like you."

He stopped to look at her, and received one outcome he hadn't imagined. Anger, sure. Shock, uh-huh. Mild admiration for having enough courage to admit his feelings to her, yep.

But no. What he got was a red-faced girl, but it wasn't from anger. It was where she was attempting to hold in her apparently extreme amusement. "Are you kidding me?" she wheezed out between bellows of laughter.

Derek, red in the face from both anger and embarrassment, decided to take action from the former feeling. "NO!" he screamed. "I'm not! And I thought you would have more respect for someone's feelings than to just laugh at me! God! I don't get it – what's so funny about it? You wanna explain, Casey?" His voice was hostile and filled with... hurt?

Casey, seeing the seriousness on his face, mellowed up and promptly shut her gaping mouth. "I-I don't know what to say," she said in a small voice, ashamed of herself.

Derek seemed to go into deep thought, but that was only him putting on his stoic face to hide his utterly confused, embarrassed, angered, and hurt self. "Who ever knows?" he asked, more to himself than her. With that said, he walked out of the room and closed the door. Sighing, he retreated to his room.

_2 weeks and lots of mixed emotions later ..._

They hadn't spoken at all. Well, _Derek_ hadn't spoken to Casey. She had made several attempts at starting to apologize, but as soon as her mouth opened he got up and went to God-knows-where. What he didn't know (and although she wasn't sure herself), was that she was starting to have... _feelings_ for him. What they were, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that they weren't of the normal step-family origin.

What they both didn't know, however, was that the night that Derek confessed to Casey his feelings, was the night that they both fell in love.

_3 weeks _(from the confession) _and lots of _(still) _mixed emotions later ..._

Derek was, for lack of a better word, shocked. Casey had just entered his room... and kissed him right-smack-dab on the lips! He had stood up when she had entered, she kissed him, and then she left him there, still standing. His mouth was agape and thoughts were going so fast through his mind that he felt dizzy. This had to be solved... er, cleared up.

_In Casey's room, 5 minutes later ..._

"What the _hell_ was that?" Derek shouted when he entered.

Casey looked up from her book (which was upside down) with a smile, "That, Derek, was a kiss. I was under the assumption that you were quite educated in that field."

He was looking a little flabbergasted, and just a little jumpy, "Well, duh! I meant: _why_ in the hell did you do that?"

"You could've just said that in the first place, you know."

"Just answer the question, Casey."

"I did it for the same reason that you came in here three weeks ago," was all she said in response.

Many emotions played across Derek's face at this moment: confusion, remembrance, and joy. The latter was plastered on his face almost permanently... well, until three months before he left for college (early!).

--

With a long-suffering sigh, Derek lazily got up from the chair and retreated to his place of solitude. Well... if you could call listening to Casey and her date 'solitude'. It made him gag to hear the _giggling._ Only when he made the girls giggle could he stand it. Any other time was just repulsive. Literally.

Feeling the bile coming up in his throat, he immediately made a dash for the bathroom – which, thankfully, wasn't currently occupied.

Having emptied any and all traces of evidence that he had eaten in the last two days, Derek wiped at his mouth and closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. Seven o'clock was late enough for bed, wasn't it? Being sick always made him extremely sleepy and shaky, and only the consoling powers of sleep could heal it.

_Ah, screw it,_ he thought to himself as he slowly – ever so slowly – got up and traversed across the hall to his room. _I want sleep. _

Five hours later, Derek woke up. And he wasn't happy. "They've been going _all night_! And could they _be_ any _louder?_"

Groaning in frustration (not to be confused with the ones next-door), he got up and begrudgingly took the short walk to Casey's room. Were he a smarter man, he would've knocked – but he didn't. "Dammit, Casey! Can't you at least keep it down to a dull roar?" he exclaimed, averting his eyes from the bed to the window.

"Gee, Derek. You're such a kill-joy. Besides, it's not like you weren't this loud when you _still lived here_," she bit.

"People are trying to sleep. Maybe you should attempt it sometime instead of fucking this guy's brains out. That is if he has any. He couldn't if he's doing _you_." He made sure that last part was as cold his father.

"Uh, maybe I should go," Casey's company suggested, hastily clambering around for clothing.

"No, Josh, you don't have to go. It's my stupid step-brother that needs to," Casey said, looking in Derek's direction the whole time.

"Oh, no. I don't think so, _Josh,_" Derek said, giving the name an extra bite.

Now, you must know that hockey had been very good to Derek. Though he had to give up his precious hobby, the years had made him strong and fast. He could take just about anyone and win.

Josh, knowing Derek from high school, decided that Casey really wasn't worth it and he should just be happy with his girlfriend. So he scurried of the room, pants on and his shirt making its way over his head.

"Derek!" Casey screamed, infuriated.

"Goodnight, princess," Derek sarcastically remarked, exiting the room and heading for bed.

He meant to sleep. He really did. But Casey's sobs were keeping him awake.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Thanks for all your awesome reviews! Sorry it took so long to get this out, but I had a small case of writer's block. Blech.

* * *

**Here's to the Nights**

**By: **_AngelOfMusic123_

Giving his alarm clock the early morning smack down, Derek rubbed his sleep-deprived eyes and stared at his ceiling. He had finally managed to get some sleep around four in the morning and had been hitting the snooze button for the past twenty minutes.

"Der-_rek_!" He heard the all-too-familiar voice (Casey) shout. "Get your sorry ass up! I'm tired of hearing that stupid alarm clock!"

He shouted some incoherent response and sluggishly slid out of bed, shutting off his alarm clock in the process. He managed to pry his eyes open long enough to check the time: 10:00. _Not too bad_, he thought. _This time is the happy medium between the early-birds and the lazy bums._ He meandered his way over to the bathroom and proceeded to shower and do other things of the waking-up variety.

Fifteen minutes later, he found himself sitting at the island in the kitchen, eating Fruit Loops (dry with a glass of milk; Fruit Loops taste funny with milk mixed in) and watching the normal MacDonald-Venturi morning chaos. Edwin and Lizzie (who had apparently not revealed their relationship to the rest of the family) sat near him, bickering over some sort of research Edwin was going over; Nora was bustling around, trying to keep the stove from catching fire; George was standing in the corner, a general coldness radiating off of him; and Casey was trying to find something that hadn't been "contaminated by the messiness of her fellow inhabitors of the house," as she put it (seriously, who talks like that?).

"So... where's Marti?" Derek asked, his eyes searching the room for added effect.

"She spent the night with one of her friends," Nora replied dismissively. "She won't be back until tomorrow – big sleepover."

Derek rolled his eyes. _No one cares about anyone in this house,_ he thought, finishing up his cereal and vacating the kitchen.

He hates his old home. The only love that lives there is between Edwin and Lizzie and Marti's unconditional affection for her oldest brother. Lizzie and Casey are incredibly distant now, as opposed to before the merging of the two families. As a matter of fact, Casey hardly had any kind of relationship with anyone in the house. Marti keeps to herself, an act of self-preservation. George had turned Nora into a cold-hearted bitch, much like what he would have done to Abby if she hadn't left.

The place reeked of hostility and Derek _had_ to get out of there.

--

"Dude, I haven't been here in forever," Sam said, looking around the shiny bowling alley.

"Yeah, me either. But I needed to get out of the house," Derek replied, heading towards the counter to get shoes.

"...you're still living at home?" Sam looked at him in disbelief.

"Briefly; I'm just back for a little while," Derek answered, not fazed. He handed the clerk some money, told him his shoe size, and waited on a pair.

"Why would you wanna go back _there_? They treated you like shit, D."

"It's... complicated," Derek said, his face clearly saying that he was done with the subject. Sam took the hint and moved on.

"So... how's life been treatin ya?"

Derek shrugged, grabbing his shoes and walking to a lane. "Like I was a terrible person in my past life."

"Oh. I know what you mean, man. I never thought it would be this hard. I mean, my folks made it seem so easy," Sam conveyed, a strange look on his face.

"Mine didn't. Unfortunately, I was never sadly misled," Derek quipped, a hint of bitterness in his tone. His childhood had sucked big, hairy monkey-butt.

"I kinda wish the 'rents had prepared me better, though, you know?"

"Not really." Derek got up and grabbed his bowling ball, readying himself to bowl. The only way his parents could have prepared him better would have been to throw him out on the streets when he was five.

He let the ball go, guiding it with his eyes. It collided with the front pin, knocking all ten down. "Strike!" he shouted. "Freakin heck yes! I am _so_ gonna kick your ass."

"Please. Why do you think I have my own shoes?" Sam gestured towards his shiny feet. "I have my own bowling team."

There was a pause. "...you're serious?"

Sam nodded proudly. "Won the tournament last month."

Derek laughed, "Only you, man."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, dude. Just bowl."

Ten minutes later, both Derek and Sam had perfect scores and it was down to the last turn.

"Dude, I really wasn't expecting it to get this intense," Sam remarked, noting the look of extreme concentration on his best friend's face.

"Well, you _obviously_ don't remember my competitive nature," replied Derek, going over in his head the best possible way to get a strike. He let the ball go and watched it speed down the lane. "I'm gonna win this. No way you beat me."

"Sure, whatever. You'll see that practice pays off."

The ball hit the front left pin and knocked them all down but one: the middle.

Derek sucked air in through his teeth. "Dammit. There goes my perfect score." He soon knocked down the last pin.

Sam smiled at his best friend; he _did_ remember his competitive nature. He had just forgotten the degree of that nature. "And... here goes the winning shot!" he hooted, rolling the ball down the lane and landing a strike. "Ha! Beat you!" He proceeded to do a rather odd victory dance which included hopping up and down and beating his chest like a gorilla.

Derek only laughed. "Mmhmm, enjoy it while you can, cuz next time, you won't even have time to _think_ about winning, much less choreograph a gorilla-happy-dance."

Sam blinked at him. "That was _not_ a gorilla-happy-dance, I'll have you know. It was a victory dance. You know, that's what you do when you win. Not that you would know..."

"_Ouch_, that one really got me," Derek mocked, taking a fist to his chest and feigning hurt. They both laughed, letting themselves revert back to the old days when they could just fool around like this without worrying about grown-up stuff.

"Oh, dude. I almost forgot to tell you – I'm getting married!" Sam said after their laughter receded as they left the bowling alley.

"Seriously? That's great, man. Who is she?" Derek replied, truly happy for his friend.

"Karen Fields. I met her in college and we just kind of hit it off from there." A happy look crossed his face. "She's amazing. I've never met anyone like her." Derek could only nod and smile in response, his mind already retreating back to thoughts of Casey. There was a time when he was so in love with her that he had stood in front of jewelry stores, looking at rings. He wasn't exactly planning to marry her right out of high school, though. He wanted to wait, to live the college life with her, but not worry about marital stresses and such. Or something like that. Mostly, he was just afraid. And that might have been the reason why she left him in the end.

Derek quickly shook his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts, and realized that his friend was still talking. "...completely since I met her." Sam noticed that Derek hadn't been listening. "D, you still with me?"

"Huh? ...oh, yeah. Just got a little distracted," he replied. They got in Sam's car and proceeded to exit the parking lot. "You were saying?"

Sam glanced briefly at Derek before looking back at the road. "Yeah... she makes me fall in..." Derek tuned him out, leaning his head against the car window. Listening to Sam go on and on about how madly in love he is was like pouring lemon juice on a paper cut, the kind in-between your fingers.

--

"Yeah, I'll see ya, Sammy," Derek called, closing the front door and walking inside. He stopped short when he saw Casey sitting on the couch, glaring pointedly at him. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "What?"

"Where have you been?" She stood up and walked over to him, eyes narrowed and clouded with something Derek couldn't quite name.

"What? All the sudden I'm sixteen again and I can't leave the house without permission?" He crossed his arms, readying himself for the one of the pointless (and yet not so pointless) battles he'd missed so much over the years.

"Oh, please. You know you just pranced on out anytime you wanted."

"Okay, first: I did not _prance_, I... liberated myself from the premises. Second: why do you care? You've made it perfectly clear that you don't give a shit about what I'm doing or where I am." His voice raised in volume there at the end, his withheld anger from the past years unfolding.

Casey looked almost stricken, but the emotion was gone almost as soon as it arrived. "I _don't_ care. But because of you, I had to stay here and wait. Everyone else is out and you don't have a key anymore." Her arms were by her sides, rigid and ending in tight fists.

"The door was unlocked when I got here," Derek replied, gesturing towards it offhandedly.

"That's because I unlocked it, idiot," she countered, walking to the door and opening it. "Don't wait up for me." And then she was out the door, and, Derek couldn't help but feel, out of his life.

* * *

**Okay, so I'll admit: this chapter was basically a filler. But I also wanted to show that Derek and Sam are still, like, totally BFFs. lol And it kind of gave some more background for Derek and Casey. **

**Things will start happening soon, though. Scouts' Honor. (This would hold more truth if I were actually a girl scout at some point. But I have eaten brownies before. ;) Dasey cookies to anyone who gets the reference.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **All right, so you guys officially earned yourselves a platter of delicious Dasey cookies. (No, unfortunately, this does not mean that there's Dasey fluff in this. There's Dasey angst, but no fluff. :sad face:) Your reviews rocked, so I worked hard on this chapter for you guys. Marti's back! Woohoo!

* * *

**Here's to the Nights  
By: **_AngelOfMusic123_

Of course, Derek was just overreacting when he thought she was out of his life, because the next morning she was in the kitchen eating breakfast. He had spent a long night thinking about his relationship with Casey and had decided that it was time for a change. He was sick of this game of cat and mouse they'd been playing. He readied himself and approached her.

"Casey, we need to talk." Derek Venturi was never really one for ultimatums, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She only looked up at him, an eyebrow arched in question. "I'm getting tired of this game we've been playing."

"Game?" A smirk danced across her face before being replaced by a frown at Derek's glare.

"You know what I mean." He began to pace. Then he halted himself, a rational thought crossing his mind. "Where is everyone?"

She let out a long-suffering sigh and looked at her cereal, "Mom went to pick up Marti, George is at work, and Lizzie and Edwin had some sort of project to work on at the library."

Derek nodded. "Anyway..." he trailed off, having lost his train of thought. He huffed in frustration and sat down across from her, staring her down. "I think that we need to work this out. I still have _feelings_ for you" -- he flinched at the word, but moved on almost seamlessly -- "and I think you might still have some for me. Don't you think we should give them a chance?"

Casey snorted, "Yeah, right. Why do you think I ended it in the first place?"

Derek looked briefly taken aback, not expecting her brashness. He clamped his mouth shut, though, and nodded firmly. "Right, then. Well, I guess that settles it." He got up, managing not to show his disappointment, and began to head towards the living room.

"Wait, Derek. What are we, then?" She had stood up, and an unreadable expression was on her face.

He shrugged, his eyes distant and uncaring. "Nothing. We're not lovers, we're not friends, we're nothing. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, you're not even my step-sister. You just inhabit my old house." With that, he flopped down in his chair and clicked on the television. He didn't notice Casey's stricken look, and Casey didn't notice how his hands were shaking almost uncontrollably.

--

Later on that day, Nora returned with Marti, who proceeded to attack Derek with hugs and tales of school and friends. Marti was happy to have her brother back, and Derek was just happy to see that someone other than Edwin had actually missed him.

"How come you haven't visited in so long?" Marti asked, finally settling down from her recounting of her most recent adventure with hair dye. Her hair was now black with random streaks of green and purple. They were in his room, Marti plopped casually in the chair by his window and Derek listening to her tell her stories, wondering how he ever lost touch with her.

Derek thought on this for a minute, leaning back in his computer chair. He could always trust Marti, no matter what the circumstances were. And she was also quite a bit more mature now, despite whatever her hair might suggest otherwise, meaning that she could probably accept it a lot easier than when she was eight years old. Despite this, he used this question as an opener: "Can you keep a secret?"

Marti nodded, anxious to know what had kept her favorite brother away for the past couple years. "Of course I can keep a secret. What kind of person do you think I am?" she teased, a playful grin on her face. Noticing her brother's somber expression, though, made her drop the smile and regard him with the utmost attention. "Does it have something to do with Daddy?"

Derek, having been looking down at his (for once) clean floor, finally looked up to meet her eyes. "A little, but that's not the main reason. It's about Casey," he clarified. At Marti's suspiciously knowing expression, he continued with this: "What's with the face?"

"Nothing. Continue," Marti said, rolling her hand in a "get on with it" fashion.

Derek gave a skeptical glance, but went on with it, anyway, "Well, Casey and I... well, we were actually Casey and I. We were an 'us,' if you will." Marti nodded in understanding and kept quiet, waiting for some elaboration. "We got together about a month or two after they moved in. It was great – I was the happiest I'd been in a long time. And then one night she just ended it."

--

It was around midnight and everyone was sleeping. Everyone except Derek and Casey, that is. They were sitting in his room, Derek forlornly looking at the floor from his sitting position on his bed and Casey looking at everything but him from his computer chair.

Wringing her hands, Casey spoke for the first time since she'd told him that they needed to talk, "Derek... I can't do this anymore." She took a shuddering breath and chanced a look at him, seeing that he was now staring at her, his mouth slightly agape and his eyes swirling with emotion. "It's not that I don't care for you, because I do, honestly. It's just that I can't take the secrecy, the lying, the paranoia anymore. It's making me crazy."

Derek stood up and glared down at her, his eyes intense. "Casey, don't do this. We can work it out. What do you want me to do?" He tried to squelch the desperation in his voice, but he choked on it and had to look away before continuing. "We can tell them, tell them everything. I'll do anything for you, you know that." Three years. For _three__ years_ they'd been together, and she was trying to end it.

She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears, regretting her choice but knowing there was no turning back. "Derek, this has to end. You know they would never approve. George would send you off somewhere and then I'd be stuck here taking the fall for the both of us. Nothing can fix this."

He strode over to her, kneeling down before her and grabbing both arms of the chair. "Casey, there's nothing to fix! There's nothing wrong! I love you – how could that not be enough?" His eyes were pleading for her to stop this from happening, to give him another chance. Casey couldn't look away from him, even though she desperately wanted to do so.

"That doesn't matter. We'll both be off to college in a few months and we'll be faced with everything there. I don't want to keep you from what's supposed to be the time of your life," she replied, finally looking away and rubbing furiously at her eyes, which had begun to leak.

Derek looked completely heartbroken; why was she doing this to him? "Casey, _you_ are my life. We can phone each other all the time and I'll come and visit you on the weekends. We can make this work. We can at least see it through the summer," he said. He didn't care if he was practically begging her to stay with him; he loved her. He also chose to ignore the fact that she had just told him his love didn't matter, that it wasn't enough to save their relationship.

"_Please_, Derek. All those college girls will be all over you. I'm not going to keep you from them." She turned to face him again, her eyes hardened in resolve.

"Are you saying you don't trust me to stay faithful? Is that what this is?" he asked, disbelieving. "Casey, when have I _ever_ betrayed your trust? Huh? _When_?" He was getting angry now. He had to. Otherwise, he'd breakdown and lose it.

She didn't reply, she simply looked away and pretended to be intrigued by his screen saver on the computer.

He nodded solemnly, accepting. "I see. Well," he said, getting up and scrubbing off his knees, "you can see yourself to the door." He gestured towards the door and gave her a pointed look.

"Derek, I -" she began, but was cut short by the sudden coldness in his eyes. So she stood up and walked towards the door, slowly. Derek tried to ignore the fact that his heart was ripping up into tiny pieces with each step she took. Her hand on the doorknob, she turned to look at him one last time, "Can't we at least be friends?"

Derek sighed; she just didn't get it. You don't date someone for three years, make him fall in love with you, dump him out of the blue, and then expect to be all buddy-buddy with him. It's just not done that way. "No, we can't. Now, get out," he bit, his expression stoic and uncaring.

Casey's eyes welled up, but he disregarded it. This was her decision to end it and she might as well see it through to the end. Sighing, she opened the door and left the room.

And Derek began to pack for college three months early.

--

"And that's why I left for college so early," Derek finished, searching Marti's face for a response. He didn't have to look long, though, because she immediately began to speak.

"_That_'s why you left? She _dumped_ you?" Her face was disbelieving.

"I was in love! She broke my heart," he defended, standing up.

Marti stood up as well. She was only just up to his shoulders now at fifteen years old, but she still had the Venturi stance. "You are _Derek Venturi_! How can you let _one girl_ completely destroy your life for you? I thought you were stronger than that!" she practically yelled. "Besides," she said, quieting, "that's no reason for you to play keep-away all these years, even after college."

Derek softened, noticing for the first time just how out-of-touch he had been with his favorite sister. "I'm sorry, Smarti. Things just got away from me and, before I knew it, it was seven years later and I hadn't seen you guys since my high school graduation."

Marti held back a smile at the old nick name and settled on a mere shrug. "That's still not a good enough excuse. You could've called. And you have to wait until I decide I like you again before you get to call me that," she added.

"I'm really sorry. I don't know what else to say. I guess I just didn't want to come back here or call because it ran the risk of having some kind of interaction with Casey." He was starting to look sheepish and ashamed of himself, and Marti thought he really did need to squirm a bit before she granted him her forgiveness, even though he'd had it since she saw him in the living room when she got home.

"Man, she turned you into a pussy," Marti remarked, her mouth upturning in disgust. "The Derek _I_ know would never let some girl get to him like this."

"Okay, one: I am _not_ a pussy. And two: Casey is _not_ just 'some girl,' okay? She's the love of my life," Derek replied, his voice going from defensive to protective in two seconds flat.

Marti huffed, "_Fine_. But I don't want to see any more of this moping around. It's been _seven_ years. I think it's time you either moved on or win her back." She smiled, then, a mischievous one she had learned from Derek years ago. "And _I'm_ going to help you."

Derek smiled at his sister and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey – who said I'd forgiven you yet?" she said, mock-chastising him as she half-pulled away.

"Shut up, Smarti," Derek replied and pulled her back in the hug. He let out a happy sigh, "I've missed you, kid."

"I missed you, too... Smerek."

* * *

**Aw, aren't they sweet?  
This one wasn't a filler! At least, I don't think it was. And if it was then this story is incredibly slow-paced. :sigh: Sorry, guys. Anyways, you did get some more Derek/Casey background, so yay! **

**Let me know what you think! (Read: review) lol ;)**


End file.
